Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02275034 1999-06-15
ICE DISPENSING SYSTEM
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of
refrigerators and, more particularly, to a system for
selectively dispensing cubed or crushed ice from a
refrigerator.
Discussion of the Prior Art
It is now common practice in the art of
refrigerators to provide an automatic ice maker within
a freezer compartment of a refrigerator and further to
provide a system for dispensing the ice into a recessed
receiving area formed in a front panel of the
refrigerator. In essence, these systems provide for
the automatic filling of ice cube trays which are
emptied into a bin following a freezing period. From
the bin, the ice can be delivered to the receiving area
by the selective activation of a drive unit such as a
rotatable auger located within the bin. Most often,
such ice dispensing systems incorporate a mechanism
whereby the ice can be selectively crushed prior to
reaching the receiving area.
In the industry, there has heretofore been
proposed various different systems to accomplish this
ice dispensing function. In general, these systems
differ in the particular manner in which the cubed and
crushed ice are delivered to the receiving area and the
way in which the ice is actually crushed. For example,
with respect to the manner in which the cubed and
crushed ice are delivered, it is known in the art to
incorporate two doors in an ice dispensing system with
one of the doors functioning to direct cubed ice to the
crushing area and the other door being used to deliver
the cubed or crushed ice to the receiving area.
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Therefore, depending on the position of a user
controlled selector unit, either one or both of the
doors will be open for the delivery of ice. In another
known system, an auger is rotated in opposite
directions for dispensing the cubed and crushed ice
respectively. Unfortunately, these ice delivery
systems either suffer from an inherent time delay in
the delivery of cubed ice following a crushed ice
dispensing operation and/or, upon dispensing cubed ice
for the first time after dispensing crushed ice, an
avalanche of remaining crushed ice is received.
with respect to the manner in which the ice can be
crushed in these prior art systems, numerous types of
ice crushing mechanisms have been proposed. For
example, it is known to provide multiple sets of
crushing blades which rotate about a common axis with
an auger with one of the blade sets being fixed for
rotation with the auger and the other blade set being
freely rotatable about the common axis. When crushed
ice is selected, the freely rotatable blade set is
secured against rotation such that the cubes of ice are
crushed between the two sets of blades. In another
known system, an anvil member can be positioned in an
ice delivery passage and cubes of ice can be crushed
between the anvil member and a single set of blades
which rotated with the ice delivery auger. Finally, it
is also known to linearly shift a first set of ice
crushing blades into an ice delivery path so that cubes
of ice can be crushed between the first set of blades
and a second set of blades which rotates with the ice
delivery auger. Unfortunately, such known systems
suffer from various drawbacks including cost,
durability and crushing effectiveness factors.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for an
improved ice dispensing system which is simple in
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structure so as to be cost efficient while still being
durable and wherein cubed and crushed ice can be
selectively dispensed in a timely and accurate manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The ice dispensing system of the present invention
includes various aspects which combine to enable an
enhanced overall dispensing operation to be
accomplished in a timely and accurate manner.
According to the invention, cubed ice is delivered from
an ice collecting bin, preferably through a
conventional auger drive unit, to a common ice delivery
passage for the dispensing of both cubed and crushed
ice. Utilizing a single, common delivery passage aids
in simplifying the overall system construction while
enhancing the timeliness of the ice delivery. A first
set of ice crusher blades is mounted upon a shaft that
rotates concurrently with the ice delivery auger. When
cubed ice is to be dispensed, the ice delivery passage
is unobstructed with the first set of blades merely
rotating within the path of the ice to aid in the
efficient delivery of the ice to an ice receiving area.
When crushed ice is desired, a second set of ice
crusher blades is pivoted into the ice delivery passage
such that they are interleaved with the first set of
rotating crusher blades. In the preferred embodiment,
the second set of ice crusher blades are biased by a
spring into a crushing position within the ice delivery
passage but can be pivoted out of the ice delivery
passage through the use of a solenoid which is mounted
at a rear of the ice collecting bin and functions to
rotate a crank arm which, in turn, includes an end
portion extending within a slot formed in the second
set of ice crusher blades. In this fashion, the simple
activation or de-activation of the solenoid causes the
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second set of crusher blades to be moved either out of or into
the ice delivery passage.
With this arrangement, a single, relatively short ice
delivery passage can be used to deliver both cubed and crushed
ice by simply, selectively pivoting a second set of ice
crusher blades out of and into the path of the ice
respectively. This has been found to effectively prevent
undesired avalanching of the ice from one dispensing operation
to another while minimizing dispensing time. Utilizing two
sets of ice crusher blades assures that the ice will be
effectively crushed when desired. In addition, pivoting the
second set of ice crusher blades with a crank arm in a slot
arrangement through the use of a solenoid located at a rear
portion of the ice collecting bin provides for an overall
effective and durable ice dispensing system.
The invention also comprehends a method of dispensing
either cubed or crushed ice comprising delivering cubed ice
from a bin to an ice delivery passage formed in a frontal
housing attached to the bin, rotatably mounting a first blade
unit having a plurality of ice crushing teeth within the ice
delivery passage, permitting the cubed ice to unobstructively
flow through the ice delivery passage to an ice delivery
outlet when cubed ice is desired, and pivoting, about a
rotational axis, a second blade unit having a plurality of ice
crushing teeth into an in-use position wherein the second
blade unit is interleaved with the first blade unit within the
ice delivery passage when crushed ice is desired such that the
cubed ice delivered into the ice delivery passage is crushed
between the first and second blade units and crushed ice is
delivered to the ice delivery outlet.
Additional features and advantages of the ice dispensing
system of the invention will become more readily apparent from
the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment
thereof when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein
like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts in the
several views.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a schematic side view of the ice dispensing
system of the invention.
Figure 2 is a front view of the ice dispenser with the
second set of ice crusher blades shown in a retracted
position.
Figure 3 is a front view similar to that of Figure 2 with
the second set of ice crusher blades in an extended position.
Figure 4 is an enlarged view of a rear portion of the ice
dispensing system of Figure 1.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With initial reference to Figure 1, the ice
dispensing system of the invention is generally
indicated at 2. Ice dispensing system 2 includes an
ice receiving bin 5 that is slidably, removably mounted
within a casing 8. Casing 8 includes an extension
section 10 provided with a mounting plate portion 11.
Mounting plate portion il includes a plurality of
mounting holes 14 that are used to secure an icemaker
to the casing 8. Additional mounting holes 17 are
formed at an upper section of casing 8 and further
mounting holes 18 are formed at a lower section of
casing 8. Mounting holes 17 and 18 are used to secure
casing 8 within a freezer section of a conventional
refrigerator. Extension section 10 generally defines
an encased area 20 within which is mounted a cubed-to-
crushed ice selector mechanism 23 which will be more
fully described below.
Bin 5 has secured thereto a frontal housing
portion 27. Frontal housing portion 27 is open to
within bin 5 by means of an ice receiving inlet 30.
Frontal housing portion 27 also includes an ice
delivery outlet 33 which leads to an ice receiving area
(not shown) defined by a recess formed in a front panel
of the refrigerator as is widely known in the art. In
general, bin 5 is adapted to receive cubes of ice which
are formed by an automatic ice maker unit (not shown)
and the cubes of ice are adapted to be delivered by
means of a drive unit, such as an auger, to ice
receiving inlet 30 of frontal housing portion 27.
Since such automatic ice makers and driving units are
widely known in the art and not considered part of the
present invention, they have not been shown in the
drawings and will not be discussed herein in detail.
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As best shown in Figures 2 and 3, frontal housing
portion 27 defines an ice delivery passage 38 that
leads from ice receiving inlet 30 to ice delivery
outlet 33. Rotatably mounted within frontal housing
portion 27 is a first set of ice crushing blades 42
which are mounted for rotation with a shaft 45. Shaft
45 constitutes part of the drive unit used to deliver
ice from bin 5 into ice delivery passage 38 and
therefore, the first set of ice crushing blades 42
rotates with shaft 45 whenever ice is to be dispensed.
Each blade of the first set of ice crushing blades 42
includes a pair of identical arms 47 having a curved
terminal tip 49 and at least one sharp pointed tooth
52.
Frontal housing portion 27 is also formed with an
extension housing portion 61 for storing a second set
of ice crushing blades 65. More specifically, the
second set of ice crushing blades 65 are defined by a
pair of axially spaced plates 70, 72 (also see Figure
1) which are pivotally mounted to frontal housing
portion 27 by means of a pin 75. Each of the second
set of ice crushing blades 65 is formed with a
plurality of sharp teeth 77-80 and a slot 84. As best
shown in Figure 2, one end of each slot 85 is formed
with a ramp portion 87 which will be discussed further
below.
As should be readily apparent from the description
given above and from viewing Figures 2 and 3, the
second set of ice crushing blades 65 can be pivoted
about an axis defined by pin 75 from a retracted, non-
use position as shown in Figure 2 to an extended, in-
use position as shown in Figure 3. When the second set
of ice crushing blades 65 is retracted, ice cubes
delivered into ice receiving inlet 30 will be caused to
fall through ice delivery passage 38 and out ice
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delivery outlet 33 with the aid of the rotating set of
first ice crushing blades 42. Therefore, when the
second set of ice crushing blades 65 is retracted, ice
dispensing system 2 enables cubes of ice to be
delivered from bin 5 directly to the ice receiving
area. When the second set of ice crushing blades 65 is
extended, cubes of ice delivered into ice delivery
passage 38 will be crushed between the interleaved
first and second sets of ice crushing blades 42 and 65.
Although the particular number of blades in each of the
first and second sets of ice crushing blades 42 and 65
can vary in accordance with the invention, in the
preferred embodiment, three axially spaced blades are
provided for the first set of ice crushing blades 42
and two, axially spaced blades are provided for the
second set of ice crushing blades 65.
The particular manner in which the second set of
ice crushing blades 65 is pivoted between the retracted
and extended positions will now be discussed. As best
shown in Figure 1, a crank arm 91 includes an
intermediate portion 94, a first bent end portion 97
and a second bent end portion 100. Second bent end
portion 100 includes a first bent section 101 and a
second bent section 102. As clearly shown in these
figures, second bent section 102 extends through the
slot 84 provided in each blade 70, 72 of the second set
of ice crushing blades 65. Intermediate portion 94 of
crank arm 91 is rotatably mounted to bin 5 by extending
through a hole 103 formed in frontal housing portion 27
(see Figure 1) and through slot 104 formed in a metal
clip 105 attached to a downwardly extending flange 106
provided adjacent the rear end of bin 5 as best shown
in Figure 4. In the preferred embodiment, metal clip
105 is attached to flange 106 by barbs which
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frictionally retain clip 105 on a lower portion of
flange 106 as clearly shown in Figure 4.
With particular reference to Figures 1 and 4, a
solenoid 107 is mounted to casing 8 within encased area
20 through a bracket 108. Solenoid 107 includes a
linear output member 109 which is connected to a yoke
112. Yoke 112 caries a pin 115 that extends within a
slot 118 of a guide member 120. First bent end portion
97 of crank arm 91 is slidably mounted to a position
between spaced arms of yoke 112 when bin 5 is inserted
within casing 8 such that upward linear movement of
output member 109 of solenoid 107 causes first bent end
portion 97 to shift generally upward (shown in Fig. 4)
which results in rotation of intermediate portion 94
and a movement of second bent end portion 100. This
movement causes the second set of ice crushing blades
65 to be pivoted from its extended position to its
retracted position as shown in Figures 3 and 2
respectively. In the preferred embodiment, the second
set of ice crushing blades 65 is preferably biased to
its extended position shown in Figure 3 by means of a
spring 137. Spring 137, as best shown in Figure 4, is
coiled about a section of intermediate portion of 94
adjacent first bent end portion 97 and includes a first
end 139 which extends over clip 105 and abuts flange
106 and a second end 141 that defines a terminal loop
that extends about a section of first bent end portion
97. With this arrangement, crank arm 91 is biased to
move from the blade retracted position shown in Figure
1 to the position shown in Figure 3 wherein the second
set of ice crushing blades 65 assume the extended
position. In order to prevent undesired axial shifting
of crank arm 91 toward frontal housing portion 27,
projections 149 on crank arm 91 are provided adjacent
clip 105 as shown in Figure 1. In addition, first end
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139 of spring 137 extends over clip 105 to further
prevent undesired axial shifting of crank arm 91.
With this arrangement, it should be readily
apparent that ice delivery passage 38 is common for
both the delivery of cubed and crushed ice. In
addition, the provision of teeth on both sets of ice
crushing blades 42 and 65 assures effective and
consistent crushing of the ice when the second set of
ice crushing blades 65 is extended into the path of the
cubes of ice forced into ice delivery passage 38.
Furthermore, remote activation of the second set of ice
crushing blades 65 through solenoid 107 assures a
durable arrangement since the solenoid 107 remains
fixed even when bin 5 is removed from casing 8 while
the presence of spring 137 assures a consistent angular
positioning of crank arm 91 so that crank arm 91 can be
readily inserted and removed from between the arms of
the hoke 112. Finally, the presence of ramp portion 87
in each slot 84 assures a smooth transition to the
fully extended, in-use position for the second set of
ice crushing blades 65 to aid in increasing the useful
life of the system, particularly by acting as a type of
braking mechanism which prevents harsh, undo shocks
upon the pivoting mechanism.
Although described with respect to a preferred
embodiment of the invention, it should be readily
understood that various changes and/or modifications
may be made to the invention without departing from the
spirit thereof. For example, although spring 137
biases the second set of ice crushing blades 65 to an
ice crushing position and solenoid 107 is energized to
retract the second set of ice crushing blades 65 in the
preferred embodiment described, it should be realized
that the second set of ice crushing blades 65 could be
biased to a cubed dispensing position and shifted to a
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ice crushing position by a solenoid. Furthermore,
other known mechanisms could also be utilized to
perform this shifting function without departing from
the invention. In general, the invention is only
intended to be limited by the scope of the following
claims.
